Bill Boarder is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Pharma-Safe Industrial Services. Throughout his career journey, Bill displays his aptitude for strategic decision-making, a deep commitment to integrity, and an appreciation for team culture. In this interview, Bill discusses where his passion for sales and marketing brought him and shares the keys to success that made his aspirations come to life. 

Professional Journey: Growing Personally and Professionally

Early Beginnings and Education

Bill Boarder began his career in the humble position of grocery store manager. Along with his bachelor’s degree in business management from Southeastern Louisiana University, he used this opportunity to learn the basics of leadership, customer service, and operational efficiency. A chance encounter at a gym led to a significant career shift.

While working out, he learned of an opportunity to become an EMT and gym trainer for a drilling company. Seizing this chance, he pursued the opportunity and hired on. With his business background, Bill quickly moved from the field to the office to become the Vice President of Operations at the company.

Here, he cultivated valuable client relationships and eventually transitioned to a sales role, leveraging his network to expand the business. This led to his promotion to President of the company. During his eleven-year tenure, he met the owners of Pharma-Safe and ordered medications through them before PSIS switched focus to providing paramedics. Bill upheld this relationship, maintaining the seed that would become a new opportunity many years later.

Embracing Change

Despite his success as President, Bill’s passion lay in sales and marketing. He stepped down to pursue his business ventures, consulting for various companies. However, with the tumultuous oil and gas industry, he faced the need to return to another company to work.

Once again, he rose through the ranks, ultimately serving as a country manager in Brazil for four years. He holds the experience fondly, is grateful for the opportunity, and is thankful to have met his wife. After leaving the position, he returned to building his business development consulting company. He reconnected with Lanis and Ken, owners of PSIS, and consulted them for a time.

In 2019, Pharma-Safe offered Bill a position to run Operations Project Management. Once again, he quickly increased the job count and expanded the company. Suddenly, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As true paramedics, the company united to address the medical emergency. The hardship of the pandemic translated to increased workloads and necessitated urgent response. With Bill’s expertise, the company scaled rapidly to meet the unprecedented demand. Echoing the sentiments of many other executive team members, he credits the help of the EOS system that the company implemented for its ability to align the leadership during the turbulent time.

Current Role and Responsibilities

Eventually, Bill was promoted with the opportunity to pursue his sales and marketing passion at his current position. As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Pharma-Safe, Bill oversees brand management, strategic sales planning, customer management, market research, and CRM management. He is also responsible for reviewing pricing structures and analyzing new business opportunities. Bill remains active in industry organizations like IADC, LAGCOE, and NOIA, staying informed about industry trends.

The PSIS Difference

For Bill, Pharma-Safe was the right choice because of its unique culture. Throughout his decades of work, he has learned not to take for granted the community that surrounds him in his working life.

He explains that PSIS’ team cohesion and reliability are rare and are reasons he stays passionate about his work. Pharma-Safe also offers a balance of work-life balance that he longed for in his business consulting years.

Bill finds it rewarding to have the opportunity to make a difference and build companies to put them in positions of success.

PSIS’ core values resonated with him and aligned with his dedication to team culture and accountability. He believes in crediting employees for their successes and taking responsibility for their mistakes, viewing these as reflections of his training. He skillfully treads the fine line of standing up for his employees and taking responsibility for faults. This approach shows his commitment to accountability in his role.

Professional Philosophy and Keys to Success

Through his years of experience and expertise, Bill has identified two keys to professional success. One is directed to salespeople: be prepared. He urges them to know their product, know their client, and be prepared for anything, all while maintaining honesty with the customer. This philosophy helped Bill to be a reliable figure and contact for his network, fostering trust.

His second key to success is to avoid speaking poorly of competition. By maintaining integrity and professionalism, people can see what it means to live out the core values of Pharma-Safe reflected in action. Rather than speaking poorly, Bill recommends focusing on understanding customer pain points with their current providers and explaining how PSIS uniquely and comprehensively solves those problems. He asserts, “If you don’t have good things to say about your service, then you shouldn’t be in front of [clients] anyway.” Doing so refocuses efforts on building honest relationships with others.

When asked what advice he has for young professionals, Bill Boarder advises them to focus on doing their job effectively and try to be the best at what they do. Make sure to prove the value you provide and become an indispensable asset.

Personal Life

Bill reflects on his life and has come to appreciate the circumstances that brought him to his current position. Throughout his life, Bill lived for the most part in the New Orleans area, but his father moved across the country to follow his nuclear power job. The family moved between various states, such as California, Arizona, Washington, Indiana, Kansas, and Louisiana. While this meant frequently starting anew with friendships, it also taught him valuable social skills.

He and his wife now reside in Texas with their daughter. He values the time he can spend raising their child while his wife pursues her law degree. The three enjoy watching soccer and, in Brazilian tradition, barbequing on Sundays together. With a strong sense of familial connection, Bill also values the time he can spend with his brothers and other children when possible.

In his free time, Bill supports Oilfield Helping Hands (OHH). OHH is a nonprofit organization committed to raising funds for families in the oil field who have fallen on hard times. Pharma-Safe and its employees aim to support the community it works with as much as possible.

A Lifelong Pursuit of Passion

Bill Boarder’s career is a testament to the power of adaptability, continuous learning, and steadfast dedication. From his early days as a grocery store manager to his influential role at Pharma-Safe, Bill’s journey reflects his unwavering commitment to excellence and integrity. His diverse experiences and unique approach to leadership have made him a respected figure in the industry, inspiring others to pursue their passions and strive for success.